Pitt and Georgia Tech meet Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium with both teams short-handed, both on losing streaks and both looking for something to stop the slide. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and for Pitt, the simplest path to a needed win starts with avoiding a fourth straight loss.
The search around Georgia Tech Vs Pittsburgh is driven by more than the records. Pitt enters at 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the ACC, while Georgia Tech comes in at 2-5 and 1-3, but the injury lists matter just as much. Pitt is without quarterback Mason Heintschel, tight end Elijah Lagg and linebacker Cam Lindsey, and Georgia Tech has ruled out starting offensive lineman Kevin Peay and kick returner Rahkeem Smith, who leads the ACC with 534 kick return yards and a 100-yard touchdown this season.
That makes this game less about résumé and more about survival. Pat Narduzzi said both teams are dealing with similar injury issues and called it a matchup between two hungry groups that need a win. He also said Georgia Tech's reports from Thursday, Friday and Saturday have looked a lot like Pitt's, which is why the margin for error should be thin from the start.
The matchup itself tilts toward Pitt on paper because of what the Panthers do best. Pitt's rushing defense is ranked No. 2 in the nation, while Georgia Tech has allowed 210.4 rushing yards per game, the worst mark in the ACC. That should give Pitt a chance to control the game if it can force Georgia Tech into longer drives and avoid letting the visitors get comfortable on the ground.
But the numbers do not make Georgia Tech harmless. Alberto Mendoza has completed 71.2% of his passes for 1,714 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, and Pitt still has to account for him as a run-game factor even though Georgia Tech uses less quarterback rushing than it did a year ago. Mendoza was pulled late in Georgia Tech's 49-27 loss to Boston College on Oct. 24 after throwing two interceptions, yet Pitt cannot assume that means the offense will stay one-dimensional.
Joe Bowen said Georgia Tech has two dynamic running backs who are slippery, create explosive plays and force clean angles in the run game. Justice Haynes leads the team with 515 rushing yards, Trelain Maddox averages 6.3 yards per carry and has a team-high six touchdowns, and Georgia Tech also has passing targets in Jordan Allen, with 42 catches for 517 yards and one touchdown, and Dalen Penson, with 27 catches for 428 yards and two touchdowns.
Pitt has already seen this opponent produce trouble before. One year ago, the Panthers upset No. 22 Georgia Tech 42-28 in Atlanta, and a repeat result Saturday would give them a badly needed lift after three straight losses. If not, the skid deepens and the questions around a battered roster only get louder when the ball is kicked off at Acrisure Stadium.
